Westcave Preserve is a natural treasure of the Texas Hill Country, possessing unique and majestic beauty and ecological diversity. Located adjacent to the Pedernales River in southwestern Travis County about 40 miles from downtown Austin, this 75-acre gem is managed by the non-profit Westcave Preserve Corporation and offers an array of natural science and interdisciplinary educational programs for children and adults from Austin and surrounding communities.

Two distinct ecosystems meet on the Preserve, forming a unique opportunity for students of nature and an unexpected experience for visitors exploring the Hill Country. The Preserve's grasslands are scattered with wildflower meadows, ash junipers, oaks and cactus bordering a sheltered limestone canyon punctuated with rare plants and cypress trees. The highlight of the site is its 40-foot waterfall backed by caves, tumbling over fern-covered travertine columns into an emerald pool.

Westcave Preserve was privately held in the 1960's and 1970's, and was a favorite spot for picnickers and trespassers who damaged the site with heavy foot traffic, littering, and by damaging fragile flora and breaking the cave's stalagmites and stalactites. John Covert Watson established the nonprofit Westcave Preserve Corp. in 1976, which then borrowed funds to purchase the cave and surrounding 29 acres. In 1983 a partnership was formed with the Lower Colorado River Authority, who paid off the note and established a dollar-a-year, 99-year lease agreement for Westcave Preserve Corp. to manage and sustain the Preserve and offer it as an educational resource. Careful restoration and close management has allowed a nearly complete recovery, and the site is now protected through defined land management practices and an emphasis on developing positive relationships with surrounding landowners.

The site has national significance as an integral component of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's desired Balcones Canyonland Preserve system, and has been nationally recognized as one of the region's premier sites for viewing the endangered golden-cheeked warbler. The Preserve is also situated in an area of increasingly rapid development and diminishing habitat. Within the next 25 years, the three-county Austin area population is expected to double to 2.3 million, increasing the need to educate the community to preserve the best of our region's environment and the places that make Texas special.

Spurred by the need for improved facilities at Westcave Preserve and by the rapid growth and program demands of the community, the Westcave Board of Directors initiated Nurturing the Land, Building for the Future - a capital improvements project to create a model "environment for learning" at Westcave Preserve. The project was supplemented by a $200,000 Partners in Parks grant from LCRA, who then leveraged a $750,000 Texas Parks and Wildlife grant to match their $200,000 gift and additional private gifts secured by Westcave Preserve Corp. Additionally, project architect Robert Jackson and LCRA secured significant in-kind materials and services to construct the new Environmental Learning Center. The new facilities were dedicated on March 22, 2003, providing a world-class, inspirational learning facility for children and adults. The Preserve stands as a model of cooperative natural resource stewardship, and is protected through the efforts of Westcave Preserve, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and the Lower Colorado River Authority.